Researchers have captured the first ever video footage of a colossal squid, one of the largest and rarest marine animals on the planet.
A team of international ocean scientists were using a remotely operated submersible to search for new marine species near the South Sandwich Islands, in the southern Atlantic Ocean.
They captured the footage of an unusual transparent squid in March, and had to identify its species before releasing the video. This is the first time a colossal squid has been recorded in its natural habitat.
Video was released by the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
Most examples of the animal have been adults, seen on fishing lines or found in the stomachs of predators like sperm whales.
The juvenile in the new footage is less than a foot long.
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As a colossal squid grows, its body turns an opaque red or purple, and it becomes truly colossal: The few specimens recovered so far suggest some adults may grow to be more than 40 feet long and weigh as much as 1,500 pounds, making them the largest known invertebrate animals.
The colossal squid also has the largest eyes of any animal — they can be twelve inches in diameter, as big around as a dinner plate.
